Heart healthy eating is best way to cut down threat of heart disease and stroke. Thus, nothing is best than giving preference to a healthy diet to maintain healthy heart. Incorporating an appropriate diet is only way of keeping your heart away from all sorts of diseases. These days, the risk of heart associated issues is equal among both genders. It is very important for women over 40 to take extra care of heart’s health, in order to stay fit and lead disease free life.
Heart disease is leading reason behind death of many women in America. For keeping healthy heart, you should incorporate more fruits, vegetables and foods laden with whole gains and healthy proteins. Moreover, you should limit on sugar rich foods, calories and unhealthy fats.
RISK FACTORS
- Unhealthy fats:-
These fats are abundantly present in foodstuff like fried chicken, pizza, cookies, hamburgers, ice cream and bacon. Hence, before eating these food items see the nutrition facts label and then only eat. According to studies, daily eating of foods enriched with nutrition cut down the risk to your heart by 80 percent. Hence, it is vital to be aware of how foods affect your heart. It is imperative to put limit on consumption of saturated fats and to void foods loaded with Trans fat. Reducing intake of both fats is responsible for cutting down the level of bad cholesterol. Even keep distance from foods such as margarine, butter and cheese. Replace the heavy fatty food like fried potato with baked potato. In addition, make use of healthy oils like sunflower, canola, safflower and olive oils for cooking foods. Try maximum to begin your day with consuming plain toast and egg whites. This is said to be best breakfast than consuming other flavorless oatmeal breakfast. There is no need to make rigorous alteration in your diet. Even small alterations like including vegetables, low fat substitutes and fruits will also work wonderful in maintaining healthy heart in the long run.
- Low cholesterol:-
Low cholesterol is major enemy of illnesses associated with heart. Keeping an eye on what you eat is the only way of keeping cholesterol level in check. Staying away from fried packed food is a key to reduced risk of bad cholesterol. Substituting cookies, fries and chips with proteins, fruits and fibrous food items are an excellent way of averting any kind of cholesterol consumption. Various foods such as olive oil, nuts, fish hold sterols or stanols, which obstruct assimilation of cholesterol. As a result, simply avert packed food to cut down your cholesterol levels.
- Fast food:-
Consuming excess amount of fast food can be main risk to your heart. Easy foodstuff such as processed meats, dairy products and packaged dinners are responsible for damaging to the heart and should averted as much as possible. Try maximum to substitute these by fruits, unsalted meats, soups, fresh food and salads. Consuming too much salt raises your blood pressure, which exhibits you to the risk of heart attack. Hence, consuming less salty foods and voiding fast food stuff is one excellent way of staying fit. In fact, it would better if you give preference to add herbs and spices to your food to make it delicious. It is one of the great options for salt.
FOODS TO INCLUDE:-
- Seafood:-
Seafood holds immense source of fat named omega-3 fatty acids. Research has revealed that intake of around 8 ounces of seafood reduces your risk of dying from heart disease. Seafood that is enriched with more oil and omega-3 fatty acids consists of sardines, trout, anchovies, mackerel, salmon and so on. Apart from these, lean fish like haddock, catfish and cod are known to have low amount of omega-3 fatty acids.
- Whole grains:-
Diet must be filled with whole grains such as oatmeal, wild rice, whole wheat, buckwheat, sorghum, bulgur, whole oats, whole grain corn, brown rice, whole grain barley, millet, eat. This is one potent solution for all women to keep healthy heart forever.
- Low-fat dairy products:-
Milk, yogurt, cheese and calcium fortified soy drinks are best example of low-fat dairy products. Women must include these fat-free products in their daily regimen in reasonable amount to beat all heart related diseases and to keep heart healthy.
- Eat potassium rich foods:-
Potassium diminishes the damaging effects of sodium on blood pressure. Therefore include maximum foods laden with potassium in your daily diet. According to studies, 4700 mg of potassium per day are critically needed for women to maintain healthy heart. Food items such as bananas, orange juice, plain yogurt, spinach, prunes, sweet potatoes, prunes juice, tomatoes and white potatoes are superior sources of potassium.
Avoid too much intake of calorie as well. Since the amount of calories you should prefer totally relies on your body size, physical activity, sex, age and other factors. For example, women from 31-50 age groups, having normal weight and are reasonably active should consume 2000 calories per day to maintain her weight. To determine your personalized everyday calorie limit, make use of super tracker tool.
In addition to consuming healthy meals, it is also imperative that you exercise daily. Cardiovascular exercises play a leading role in keeping your heart strong and improve the blood circulation. Daily exercise forms survival, improves suppleness and cuts down body fat. In this way, the risk to your heart reduces. As a result, while keeping diet and exercise in balance form, give maximum priority to fibrous food as they are packed with nutrition, hence offers a vast aid in keeping heart fit. They not just give relief from number of heart diseases, but also aid in weight loss. Eat maximum homemade meals because they are fresh as well as ingredients used are supervised. Follow the method of baking or boiling your meals, instead of frying. A healthy diet and calm mind is the key to a healthy heart in the long run.